Rooftops
by emzillaaaa
Summary: The classic story of a group of friends torn apart from the wrath of high school. But when an old friend is back from rehab to face his past, will it bring them together or will they take it as a last straw? TK, maybe. Read & review, kiddos!


**The Disclaimer: I don't own Rugrats/All Grown Up. If I did, I doubt I'd have any intention of sitting my bum and writing Fanfiction. Anyhow, enjoy!**

Kimi sighed.

She was at her locker, rummaging through her book bag like she had all the time in the world. It was the first day of school, and she was finally a junior at her high school. Clad in a funky black blouse and faded denim, Kimi tugged at her clothes anxiously as she glanced at her reflection on the locker mirror. Her hair was fixed into an original creation only she could pull off, and a look of unbreakable confidence was plastered on her face. But the bags under her eyes and the way her smile cracked said otherwise.

"Kimster," a voice called out. It was sweet, familiar, and she knew it well, so she wasn't surprised to turn and stand face-to-face with the kid.

She smiled, "Dil!" He held his arms open for an embrace, where she followed through on the offer. "You're here!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Dil asked with a chuckle, escaping from the hug. Kimi had noticed that he had gotten taller, his once toppled carrot head hair had calmed itself, and his sense of style had turned down a notch. It was a subtle change, but she noticed.

Kimi shrugged, "Well…" She feared the possibilities that would finish that sentence.

"Don't mention it," Dil cut in, as he scanned his surroundings. "It's hard enough already." Kimi knew exactly what he was talking about, but didn't want to lead the conversation into the subject.

Suddenly, a rowdy bunch of buff guys traveling in a group down the hall crossed their path. It was the Jim High's football team, and apparently it was a tradition to parade through the school with paint stained on their faces and their jerseys in check like wild animals. They were followed around by the cheerleading squad, pepped up and sun kissed from the summer's affect.

Two were easily distinguished from the crowd. One was obviously a football player, captain to be exact, who led the group. He had slicked fiery hair and the slightest hint of freckles splattered on his cheeks, his award-winning smile twinkling as he stood above all of them. Another was a brunette vixen in gold and green, her locks tied back in a ponytail and glossy lips at his side. It was no mistaking that they were a couple, and they soaked up every bit of admiration that was thrown at them.

"Well, there go Mr. and Mrs. I'm-too-cool-for-you," Dil said with a sigh.

Kimi shrugged, looking away from the two in their moment of glory. "Hey, it's not a crime."

Dil looked at Kimi with a look of confusion, "Wait a minute. I thought you – "

"Yes, Dil, they're not my favorite people in the world anymore. But that doesn't make them any less of my older brother, or… my…" Kimi shook the thought away at the title that established the relationship between her and _that_.

Chuckie and Lil, or _Chuck and Lillian_ as they were called nowadays, continued their parade hand-in-hand as they mingled with strangers in the crowd that they 'saw at that one party this summer' or 'bumped into at the beach that one day'. As they passed Kimi and Dil, Chuckie simply looked through them as if they weren't there. Lil, on the other hand, took one look at Kimi in a second of disgust, before looking away and flashing her fake smile at someone who was worth it.

"Mother–" Dil paused his following remark as Kimi threw him a stern sisterly look, and he immediately shut up. She shut her locker, and pressed her binder against her chest. Kimi closed her eyes for a minute, taking a deep breath. She could handle it. "Um… Kimi…"

"Shhh, Dil," Kimi hushed him, leaning against her locker. "I need silence." But for some reason, she felt the tension building up inside of her even more.

"Kimi," Dil tugged at Kimi's sleeve more forcefully, and his voice whined like a younger sibling to his older sister. She ignored him, and shut her eyes tighter. She needed to tune out the world for a minute, that's all she needed. But, after a few moments, the silence came to her internally. However, she couldn't help but feel the quiet overcome in other places, as well.

"Dil?" Kimi whispered, still blinded from sight. "What's happening?" When Dil didn't respond, Kimi took this as a sign to open her eyes. The act revealed a frozen second in time, as all the students occupying the halls had stopped in their tracks and all the sound had become mute. The front doors of Jim High School swung open, and a well-known brown tousled-haired guy with a soccer jersey and jeans with a body that could make any girl in the room swoon stepped in. Kimi held her breath, and muttered under her breath, "Phil." She felt her heart break all over again.

"It's okay, I'm here now!" Phil proclaimed with his arms held high, and the crowd cheered. Of course it was expected for Phil DeVille, soccer star, to get his own standing ovation for simply walking into the building. Dil clenched his fists, knowing the damage that was done toward his best friend, as Kimi just stood there. A filmstrip of events flashed before her eyes, and a bitter sensation formed behind her eyes. She had no choice but to run in the other direction, away from the crowd.

"Kimi!" Dil cried, calling out after her. But before he could take action, something refused to let him move another step. His eyes were drawn toward the front doors again, and a new figure had emerged from its entrance.

"Could you please move? You're kind of in the way," the stranger said in a rough voice. It wasn't very loud, but it was enough to turn the volume off on the voices of the crowd around them. Some even gasped, thinking it was aghast to question Phil DeVille in such a way.

"Excuse me?" Phil turned around to face the challenger. The stranger was wearing a band T-shirt, baggy jeans, and a gangster hat that hid his hair and eyes from sight. The stud in his right ear piercing had a certain appeal to it, and the careless attitude that he gave off made a few girls eat their heart out.

The stranger simply stood there, his hands shoved into his pockets, "To make it short and sweet, get out of the way." The crowd grew even more silent, if that was even possible.

"What if I don't want to?" The whole hall seemed to stop in time. Even Chuck and Lillian abandoned their conversations to watch what the commotion was all about.

The stranger shrugged, cocking his head to the side, "Then we'd be giving this crowd something to talk about, eh?"

"Brave guy," Phil challenged, as the crowd were kept on their toes. "For a new kid around here, you have a lot of nerve."

The stranger chuckled roughly, "You're funny, kid." He attempted to move past him, but Phil continued to block him.

"You got a problem?" Phil mocked.

"Nah," the stranger muttered. "Just you." Hushed whispers ran through the crowd once again, and some even chanted, "Fight! Fight!"

Phil crossed his arms against his chest, and held his head high, "You wanna go?" It was the final call.

"Tsk, tsk," the stranger sighed. "Violence is never the answer."

"So you're scared?"

"Don't blame your own fears onto others."

That's when Phil threw the first punch. In the school rulebook, it clearly states that if an act of violence is put upon you, you have the right to return it in defense with equal or greater force. However, the stranger ducked in time to avoid the blow. But his hat was knocked off.

"There you go, new kid, let's see–" Phil stopped in his tracks, as he backed away in disbelief. The rest of the crowd gasped, not in response to the fight itself, but the stranger himself. He wasn't a stranger at all. "It's… it's you."

Chuckie felt his blood run cold, and he muttered, "No."

Lil simply covered her mouth and gasped, "He's… he's back?"

The stranger brushed himself off, and regained his stance. He had dark, spiky hair that hung over his piercing blue eyes, and a smirk that caught most off-guard. "Who're you calling new kid?" He picked up his hat off the floor and shrugged. "Let's start this over. Sup, I'm Tommy Pickles, and it's been a while."

The bell rang.

**So here you go. I know, kind of dramatic for the first chapter, but I guess that's what I was going for. Let me know what you think, and I'm open to anything, really. And just so you know, I haven't established any couplings yet, but I have a couple in mind. Thank you very mucho grande for reading!**


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